I feel terrible for all the Xbox employees who are working with the looming threat of mass layoffs ahead. An unprecedented number of layoffs are reportedly planned, and the fate of multiple studios hangs in the balance.
A steady decline over the course of two console generations has Xbox seemingly on the edge of total collapse, and staff and asset downsizing appears to be the chosen "solution," as multi-trillion dollar conglomerates like Microsoft are known to do. Xbox is in serious need of revenue, but is bizarrely on the verge of putting the nearly complete State of Decay 3 in the trash.
As Xbox prepares to lay off a record number of gaming industry workers, it is looking to simultaneously divest from four development studios: Double Fine, Compulsion Games, Ninja Theory, and Undead Labs. All four are reportedly up for sale, per GamesBeat, but will simply be shuttered entirely if a buyer does not emerge.
Undead Labs is currently at work on the highly anticipated survival game State of Decay 3, which is set to release in 2027 and has appeared to be close to completing development. It had a strong showing at this year's Xbox Games Showcase, and...
